Missouri man sentenced to 32 years for death of toddler

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) — A St. Louis County man has been sentenced to 32 years in prison for the death of a 2-year-old girl who suffered burns and a severe beating.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports (http://bit.ly/L8F4k7) 35-year-old Marquicio Johnson was convicted in April of second-degree murder, child endangerment and two counts of child abuse. The Hazelwood man was sentenced Thursday in St. Louis County Circuit Court.

Johnson was accused in the December 2009 death of Orionis Barron-Taylor at the home of her great-aunt, who was Johnson's girlfriend. He had been watching the little girl while her great-aunt worked an overnight shift as a nurse.

Prosecutors said the toddler died from swelling of the brain as a result of being beaten by Johnson, who waited almost an hour to call for help.